Chapter 28

Suddenly, the air felt eerily still.
After a long pause, Cai Sheng spoke up very cautiously, “Last I heard, a group’s holed up on the fourth floor, looks like they’re trying to expand power. The useful players get recruited; the useless ones are tossed aside or just straight-up silenced.”
“And you?” Zhong Rui asked.
“Completely useless. But I’m fast, so they didn’t bother offing me!” Cai Sheng managed a flash of pride.
Zhong Rui honestly couldn’t figure out what this guy was so proud of. The ship was only so big, how far could he run, seriously?
Su Han’s face was expressionless. Here we go again, she thought. More PvP drama. All she wanted was to hunt, fish, scavenge loot, and somehow she kept getting roped into these power struggles. Worst part was, there was simply no escaping it.
“Looks like, if we want to stop things getting out of hand, we’ll need to seize control first,” Zhong Rui sighed. “Only way to keep things stable is to hold the power to set the terms.”
Su Han really didn’t want to play at power games, but she had to admit he had a point.
Just then, the ship’s PA crackled on: “Attention, this cruise has been taken over by the Moonfall Guild. Everyone is to remain on decks one, two, and three. Step foot on the fourth deck, and you’ll be killed, no exceptions.”
“Repeating. Attention…”
Everyone on the cruise heard the announcement.
Cai Sheng was visibly surprised. “So as long as we stay off the fourth deck, it’s fine? Why not just lock us all down? They’ve got numbers, they could crush us easily.”
After thinking it over, Zhong Rui came up with a theory. “Probably because they’ve locked up all the supplies and are sure their own people can outlast everyone else. No need to stir up more trouble.”
“Heard they poisoned every barrel of bottled water onboard,” Su Han added with a calm shrug. “So, basically, fresh water is strictly from private stock now. If they stockpiled too many underlings, there wouldn’t be enough to go around.”
“But if they don’t have enough muscle, they won’t be able to control the rest of the ship.”
“So it’s easier to defend a small turf and let everyone else hustle as they please.”
Su Han finished dryly, “Everyone stays in their own lane. Nice system, honestly.”
“Just because you’ve got a stash doesn’t mean you’re clearing this instance,” Zhong Rui chimed in. “We’re still at sea, what if a huge storm hits? What about pirates?”
Cai Sheng’s eyes went wide. “So the guys in charge won’t wipe us out completely.”
“Not necessarily,” Su Han said, shifting her tone. “Smart ones think ahead. The dumb ones? All they know is wiping out everyone else.”
“Anyway, for now looks like Moonfall Guild doesn’t want to stir the pot,” Cai Sheng said, clearly relieved.
“But just because the guild’s quiet, doesn’t mean everyone else is,” Zhong Rui murmured, subtly indicating a direction with his chin and mouthing: “Incoming.”
“I’m heading back to my room. What about you?” Su Han looked at her partner.
“I’ll go check things out, see what’s up.” Zhong Rui grinned easily.
Su Han nodded. “Alright, we split up here.” With that, she spun and strode off, cool as ever.
Zhong Rui waved, mumbling, “Keep up.” Then set off at a brisk march ahead.
Cai Sheng, still wincing, thought: What’s the point in scouting, seriously? All he wanted was to huddle quietly in his room. But with his bodyguard already gone, he could only grit his teeth and follow along.
At exactly 9:00, the system’s robotic voice announced, “Day 2 of the game.”
No further instructions followed.
Three bottles of milk, a fluffy meat bread bun, and a slab of chocolate cake had appeared in her portable storage. Su Han glanced them over, locked her doors and windows, and settled down for some much-needed sleep.
She ended up napping for ages. It was nearly two in the afternoon before Su Han finally drifted back awake.
The room was still empty, just her. The doors and windows were untouched.
Su Han opened the window and glanced out at the deck, where several people were fishing. Though everyone was scattered in small groups and kept a wary distance, no fights had broken out. After a night, it seemed the players’ last shreds of sanity had finally returned.
And look at that, Zhong Rui and Cai Sheng were there, too.
Su Han yawned, then strolled lazily out onto the deck.
“Coo, coo.” A flock of pigeons fluttered by overhead.
Something sparked in Su Han’s eyes. She fished out a slingshot and a handful of steel pellets, aimed, and fired.
Bang, the pellet smashed straight into a pigeon’s left wing, and down it tumbled.
“Perfect, pigeon soup for dinner,” Su Han thought, already planning out her meal.
But before she could even fetch her prize, someone snatched the bird first, beaming, “Wow, talk about luck! Who knew dinner would fall out of the sky?”
Su Han’s face went cold. Her voice was icy. “Drop the pigeon. That’s my catch.”
“Yours?” The big guy snorted. “Says who? Prove it.”
Su Han didn’t back down an inch. She met his gaze and said flatly, “Fine. Keep the pigeon and just give me your life instead.”
The big guy was speechless.
He couldn’t have imagined it, this girl, sharp as steel, wasn’t bluffing for a second.
Su Han let her tone ease. “I’m giving you an out while I’m still talking nice. It’s basic manners: don’t touch other people’s stuff.”
“Manners, my ass!” The man grinned, ugly and predatory, and closed in on Su Han.
Su Han didn’t retreat; she advanced.
“Idiot!” The guy started to spit out another insult, only to have Su Han jam a Desert Eagle right into his mouth.
A cold sweat ran down his forehead.
The Desert Eagle. Packs a hell of a punch: 40 damage a shot, worth fifty points.
And the bullets? A single round would set you back a point each.
Even worse, the gun’s limited edition. Only 100 available in the shop each round, if you’re fast enough to grab one.
With the barrel in his mouth, if she pulled the trigger, he’d take double damage. The guy quickly ran the numbers: two shots, he’d be toast.
Zhong Rui, seeing things get heated, started to head over, only to realize his teammate already had the upper hand.
“Do you need more proof?” Su Han asked lazily, as if she had all day.
“Mmm-mmm! (Nope!),” the man shook his head frantically, mouth still stuffed with steel and humiliation.
“My pigeon?” Su Han held out her left hand.
The man obediently handed it over.
Su Han stomped hard on his foot for good measure before finally putting the gun away and walking off.
The guy stood there, pale and shaking, still haunted by the feel of the barrel in his mouth.
“Are you stupid?” His buddy hurried over, exasperated. “Just ‘cause she’s a chick doesn’t make her easy prey! If someone’s survived this long, you think they’re a pushover? Picking a fight over one dumb pigeon, were you dropped on your head?”
The big guy squeezed his eyes shut in misery. Yeah. He’d really outdone himself this time.
Su Han strolled closer, pigeon in hand. As she walked up, she saw her crew fishing by the rail.
Cai Sheng looked up to her like she was some legendary boss. “Damn, girl, you’re a total badass.” So cool, so free, totally untamed.
“I’m not the type who lets myself get walked over,” Su Han said offhandedly. Then, chatty as anything, “So, what got you two in the mood to fish?”
Zhong Rui shrugged, “Bored and nothing better to do, figured we’d give it a try.”
“Any luck?” Su Han asked, genuinely interested.
“Two. One eel, one squid.” Zhong Rui replied.
Su Han tied up her pigeon with a rope, took out her fishing rod, and joined them by the sea.
Ten minutes in, she reeled up a yellow croaker.
Another fifteen and she landed a grouper.
Twenty-three minutes, she brought up a bass.
The other two? Not a nibble between them.
Zhong Rui shot her a look. “You’re cheating, aren’t you?”
“Not a chance.” Su Han thought to herself: this is just pure skill, plain and simple!
No wonder she never cared about teaming up. Her survival and hands-on abilities blew everyone else out of the water.
By the time she landed fish number five, Su Han packed up her rod, ready to call it, no sense drawing any more attention. Better to fly under the radar a bit.
Cai Sheng hurried over to help, hauling the pigeon and grabbing the bucket, too.
Zhong Rui said, “You head back first, I want to look around on my own.”
“But I, ”
Cai Sheng started to protest, but Zhong Rui cut him off, voice firm and final, “Go. Don’t follow me.” Without looking back, he strode away, cool as anything.
Cai Sheng, left in the dust, couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “Seriously, what’s he up to now? Some top secret solo mission?”
Su Han, meanwhile, barely batted an eye and wandered off in the opposite direction.
Cai Sheng: “…”
No interest. No cares. Not even pretending. Are these two really teammates at all?
The buffet hall was a trashed mess, dishes everywhere, trash all over the floor, not a soul bothering to clean up. With the cruise’s supplies already seized and no food left to find, almost nobody came by anymore.
But right now, ragged breathing could be heard from beneath one of the tables.
Zhong Rui stepped inside, shutting the door behind him, and called out quietly, “Come out. I know you’re hiding in here.”
The heavy breathing cut off abruptly; the air went still, as if the sound had never existed.
“Why bother hiding? You think you can get away with it?” Zhong Rui walked straight to the table and flipped the cloth aside.
A boy of sixteen or seventeen was crouched beneath, his lips pressed in a tight, stubborn line, refusing to give in. But his body was wracked with weakness; there was no way he could have run.
“Satiety’s at sixty-one percent, cleanliness fifty-two, stamina at eighteen, tsk.” Unsurprisingly, Zhong Rui had found a player on the verge of collapse. He squatted down, relaxed as could be, and drawled, “So? How’d you end up like this?”
Every swallow burned, every word was an ordeal, but even so, the boy forced it out, one word at a time. “The water was poisoned. My teammate knew, and made me drink it, on purpose.”
He realized something was wrong, a moment too late.
“Why?” Zhong Rui asked, eyes sharp with curiosity.
“I wish I knew,” the boy shot back, his words hard-edged, a flash of hatred and disgust flickering in his gaze.
He had his portable inventory, his supplies were more than enough, but he'd run out of medicine, and the “poisoned” debuff still hadn’t cleared.
He was probably doomed. The boy understood this all too clearly, but he still stubbornly clung to life, forgiving a traitor was out of the question. He was desperate for revenge, nearly out of his mind with it.
“I can save you. But there’s a condition: you owe me one, down the line,” Zhong Rui said, utterly matter-of-fact, a deal, plain and simple.
The boy’s eyes flared with hope, but reason held him back. “Deal. But I've been poisoned, how exactly do you plan on saving me?”
Zhong Rui set out an antidote pill, a bottle of mineral water, a compressed biscuit, and a bottle of shower gel right under the boy’s nose.
The boy barely hesitated before swallowing the pill. Finally free of the “poisoned” status, he exhaled, alive again at last. But suspicion lingered: “Aren’t you worried I’ll flake on our deal?”
Zhong Rui’s tone was cold, unwavering. “People who bite the hand that feeds them always get what’s coming.” And by that, he meant: personally knocking you out of the Tournament.
Something seemed to occur to the boy. Suddenly, a chilling smile spread across his face, anything but friendly, itching for a fight. “You’re right. Traitors deserve everything they get.”
“Don’t forget your promise.” Zhong Rui turned on his heel and strolled out. As the restaurant doors swung shut behind him, the corner of his mouth lifted in a knowing smirk.
The poisoning incident came without warning. Many players got caught in the mess, totally bad luck, not lack of skill. When you’re staring down the barrel, and a savior appears out of nowhere, what would you do?
A promise is just an IOU, after all. Anyone desperate enough to live will spit out a half-hearted agreement. But even if one or two make good on it? Jackpot.
“Four more to go,” Zhong Rui murmured to himself, already heading for his next mark.